They weren’t working on their shooting. Instead, both Durant and Thompson reported to the weight room for a workout. They then went to the trainer’s room for treatment. And then they emerged separately to address how they are trying to delay Father Time’s arrival.

“It feels like I’m 18 years in or at my last camp, with y’all asking me about my age,” Durant joked.

Reporters asked Durant about his age because he will turn 30 on Saturday, which coincides with the Warriors’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Oracle Arena. Warriors coach Steve Kerr considers age 30 “the time in your career when you probably know the most.” Kerr added “the mind should be in the best place it’s ever been.”

So don’t look now, but it is an age the Warriors’ core are nearly approaching. Warriors guard Stephen Curry turned 30 on March 14. Durant will soon join him. And Thompson (28) and Draymond Green (28) are not far behind.

“It’s weird. It feels like yesterday I was watching Kevin Durant at Oakhill and I was watching Steph at Davidson,” Thompson said, shaking his head. “It’s definitely different. But that’s life. At least we’re getting wise.”

“You understand the game at your apex,” Kerr said. “It’s a crucial time physically because it’s when you really need to start doing the extra stuff to maintain your youth and athleticism.”

So even if Durant and Thompson enter the 2018-19 season fully healthy, they have taken preventative measures in recent seasons to increase the odds they stay that way.

Durant estimated that he has felt his “body talking to you a little bit after a game or a practice” in the past three to five years. So he has kept a strict routine that entails stretching and shooting workouts. Durant also has ensured he centers his game on skills that will not require much athleticism.

“I just keep working on all parts of my game, especially shooting and passing and just the fundamentals that last for a long time,” Durant said. “That’s what the game is built on, is fundamentals. If I add on to what I have already, I’ll be in good shape.”

After appearing in 537 out of a possible 558 regular-season games through seven years, Thompson does not need to worry about his health as much. Kerr added “it’s absolutely sustainable” for Thompson to assume the same workload during the 2018-19 season.

Still, Thompson has not taken many chances. When he sprained his left ankle during the 2018 NBA Finals, Thompson received non-stop treatment so he could still play. In the past two summers, Thompson has hired a private chef to prepare his meals. Though Thompson still spends plenty of his summer resting, he has gradually increased his strength and conditioning training. Thompson plans to become more active in two years.

“After 30, you have to continuously work out. Not super strenuous, but you have to stay in shape. It’s so much easier to get out of shape than in shape,” Thompson said. “You have to be more meticulous with your training and just realize the end is not near. It’s sooner than later. You have to embrace every day. This doesn’t last forever. It’s a sad day when the ball stops bouncing.”

When will that ball stop bouncing? The Warriors do not believe anytime soon.

The Warriors hired Rick Celebrini as the team’s director of sports medicine and performance in hopes to lengthen their star players’ careers. Hall-of-Fame point guard Steve Nash, a Warriors consultant for the past three years, informed the Warriors how Celebrini helped extend his 19-year NBA career despite nursing chronic-long back issues.

“Rick is really knowledgeable in terms of keeping guys moving,” Kerr said. “I think he’ll be a really great asset as guys get older.”

For now, Thompson and Durant have short-term goals.

Thompson outlined his want to increase both his career averages in rebounding (3.4) by playing more aggressively and his free-throw attempts per game (1.3) by relying on pump fakes. Thompson reiterated his hope to join the so-called “50-40-90 club” after shooting slightly less efficient last season from the field (48.8), from 3-point range (44 percent) and from the free-throw line (83.7 percent). Only Durant, Stephen Curry, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Larry Bird, Reggie Miller and Mark Price have joined that group.

“Some of the greatest shooters that have played ever,” Thompson said. “It’ll be awesome to eclipse that. It’ll be difficult over an 82-game season, but I think I can do it.”

Durant has downplayed wanting to pursue individual goals after winning two consecutive Finals MVP awards. Durant also respectfully declined to explain why he felt skeptical a panel of NBA media members would ever vote him for Defensive Player of the Year. Does he believe that stems from the criticism of his departure from Oklahoma City two years ago? Or does he feel his defense is overlooked? As Durant said, “I don’t know; we can just move past that one. It’s all good.

“It’s just a thought I had, how I felt at that moment, or how I still feel,” Durant said. “But it’s my opinion, just like y’all have yours. I wanted to answer the question as honestly as I could.”

Yet, Durant considered his defensive play a season-long priority. Kerr argued he can so long as he remains active, particularly on the weak side. As Kerr said, “when he’s alert and active, he’s a monster.”

“I just want to be able to guard every position, with effort and energy as much as I can and be there for my teammates,” Durant said. “All that other stuff will fall in line after that. I just try to be there for them every night.”

Will that be enough for the Warriors to win another NBA title? Plenty NBA talent evaluators think so when factoring in Curry, Green and DeMarcus Cousins’ expected return after nursing a left Achilles tendon injury in late January with New Orleans.

“I feel like we’re all relatively young and can still get to another level and keep winning. Not just this year, but the years beyond,” Thompson said. “Not a lot of guys can say that with confidence on their team. I love coming to work everyday because it’s such a special group and a special time to be a Warrior.”

Therefore, Thompson admitted that will “definitely” influence his pending free agency next summer. He reiterated once again he wants to re-sign with the Warriors because of his affection for the franchise and the Bay Area.

“It would be stupid not to be. It’s hard to walk away from something,” Thompson said. “You were here when you started and you just want to stay as long as you can.”

Durant may or may not have the same sentiment. He signed a so-called one-plus-one deal last summer, which allows him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Although he could sign a five-year, $219 million deal next July with the Warriors, Durant also said he wanted to have flexibility.

“I’m not looking for basketball to satisfy me or fulfill me as a person,” Durant said. “I love the game, I love to play, I love the championship experience. It’s the best thing I’ve been through so far in my life. But I wasn’t expecting that to heal any problems I had growing up, or what I’ve been going through by myself. I wasn’t looking for that to mask anything. I’ve got to face that on my own.”

Still, Durant considers it important to remain remembered as one of the league’s best scorers and defenders at any position once he retires. He does not sense that happening anytime soon, though. Therefore, Durant represents one of many of the Warriors’ stars that have become proactive with ensuring health does not prevent him from achieving his goals. It helps that Durant’s star teammates have acted the same way.

“Playing for a team that is selfless and cares about each other has taught me so much about it. That’s what fulfills me more than anything,” Durant said. “My cup has been full being here. Just knowing that you can walk in here and be yourself. No judgment. Just all love. That’s more fulfilling than anything. And the championship is the cherry on top.”

How long will the Warriors enjoy that dessert? It partly depends on how well their core players delay Father Time, a process both Thompson and Durant have already started.

“It’s going to be very difficult to match, but we want to keep it going as long as we can,” Kerr said. “We don’t spend a lot of time thinking about where we stand historically. We just appreciate the process.”